College roundup: Amherst wins NESCAC title

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Amherst survived an eventful final minute in the championship game of the men’s NESCAC tournament, edging visiting Williams, 74-73, for its second consecutive title and automatic berth in the NCAA Division 3 tournament. The Ephs had a chance to win on the game’s final possession, but the Lord Jeffs’ Allen Williamson rejected a driving attempt by Taylor Epley to preserve the victory.

The sixth-ranked Lord Jeffs (23-4) defeated No. 15 Williams (23-4) three times this season. The Ephs are hoping for an at-large NCAA bid when the pairings are announced Monday.

Michael Mayer’s tip-in with 1:06 remaining pulled Williams to within 72-71. After both teams recorded a steal, Williamson (team-high 17 points) hit a pair of free throws with 25 seconds remaining to give Amherst a 74-71 lead.

Epley’s layup made it a 1-point game with 14 seconds left, and Williams quickly fouled the Jeffs’ Aaron Toomey, a 91.6 percent free throw shooter on the season. But Toomey missed the front end of a one-and-one, setting up the Ephs’ last possession and Williamson’s clinching rejection.

NEWMAC final— Tourney MVP Ryan Kolb had 29 points as host WPI turned back Springfield, 79-72, in overtime to win its first conference tournament since 2006. The Engineers will take a school-record 25 wins into the NCAA Division 3 tournament.

Ohio State 68, Michigan State 60 — Aaron Craft provided a career-high 21 points for the No. 18 Buckeyes (20-7, 10-5 Big Ten) in a home win over the fourth-ranked Spartans (22-6, 11-4), who have dropped two straight.

La Salle 72, Rhode Island 65 — The host Rams (8-18, 3-10) led by as many as 7 in the second half before falling to the Explorers (19-7, 9-4). Xavier Munford had 18 points for URI.

Women’s basketball

Northeastern 67, UNC Wilmington 52 — Kashaia Cannon scored her 1,000th career point and finished with 16 to pace the Huskies (15-10, 8-6 Colonial Athletic) on the road. Cannon is the 16th player in program history to reach the milestone.

Clemson 64, BC 61 — Kerri Shields became BC’s all-time leader in 3-pointers with 240, but that was the highlight for the Eagles (10-17, 4-12 ACC) at Conte Forum. The Tigers improved to 9-18, 5-11.

Duquesne 53, UMass 44 — At Amherst, the Minutewomen (3-24, 1-11 Atlantic 10) had 29 turnovers in a loss to the Dukes (20-6, 9-3). Jasmine Watson had 10 points, the only UMass player in double figures.

NESCAC final — Marcia Voigt scored all but 2 of her 21 points in the second half to drive host Amherst (26-1) past Williams, 53-38, for its fourth consecutive tourney title and a spot in the NCAA Division 3 tournament.

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